Josias Hernandez Luna, 48, disappeared on January 15, 2005, when the 92-foot crab vessel F/V Big Valley capsized about 70 miles west of Saint Paul Island in the Bering Sea. The Big Valley had six people aboard after leaving Dutch Harbor for the opilio crab season. The emergency position-indicating radio beacon activated around 8:00 a.m., and a Coast Guard-led response, joined by other fishing vessels, conducted an extensive three-day search.

Only one crewman, Cache Seel, survived after getting into a life raft and being rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. Two bodies, Danny Vermeersch and Carlos Rivera, were recovered. Josias Luna, Captain Gary Edwards, and Aaron Marrs were never found and their bodies were not recovered. A U.S. Coast Guard investigation concluded the vessel had lost stability from severe overloading — carrying 50 to 55 crab pots well above its certified limit of 31 — amid harsh Bering Sea weather.

If anyone has information about Josias Luna’s final moments or recovery efforts, please share what is known.